Category Archives: Michigan State Spartans

Recently in a piece about Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins, I wrote this: Studying and evaluating football players is a continual exercise in uncovering actions, methods, and processes in the players themselves that are repeatable and bear out well for their future development and advancement at their position of choice. Scout the process, and not…

#1 best-selling author Mark Schofield reveals his list of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft. Schofield, who wrote 17 Drives – a chronicle of the 2015 college football season – has ranked Connor Cook as his 3rd ranked prospect. Click here to look at all of his work on the 2016 QB class. An…

The NFL is a passing league, and there’s no doubt that quarterbacks and wide receivers are the stars. But without the men in the trenches, few opportunities would exist for the QBs and WRs. Aidan Curran examines one of the best offensive lineman in this year’s draft, Jack Conklin. Jack Conklin, a redshirt junior offensive tackle from Michigan…

Comfort food and football go together like apple pie and America. Mark Schofield takes this comparison to one of the quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft class: Connor Cook. Although not a standout with any one trait, Cook is solid across the board, not unlike your standby dish at your favorite restaurant. We all have them,…

Inside the Pylon and Mark Schofield are proud to present First Sound: Connor Cook Anticipation, another video in the series that resides at our YouTube Channel. Future topics will include animated diagrams, player breakdowns, film study, and some special guests. Every day this week we’ll highlight a different First Sound video on our site and encourage you to subscribe, bookmark, follow, listen, and like our…

This week’s Inside the War Room by John Blair features a look at the two College Football Playoff games, the draft risers and fallers, an assessment of whether Ole Miss defensive end Robert Nkemdiche is worth the risk of a first-round draft pick, and reveals Blair’s top senior offensive guards in the 2016 NFL Draft.…

The 2015 Cotton Bowl will decide one of the participants in this year’s College Football Playoff National Championship. The #2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will face the #3 ranked Michigan State Spartans in Arlington, Texas. Mark Schofield has looked at the tape and lets us know what to watch for in this year’s Cotton Bowl. In…

The 2015 College Football Playoff semifinals are here and ITP has collected all of the articles that Mark Schofield has written about the playoff teams in one place. Read up on the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl participants before they clash for the National Championship. In this review of college football action, we look at the two-headed…

While it is a short holiday week for most people, there is nothing short about ITP The Podcast Volume 15. Chuck Zodda & Mark Schofield are back to examine the key storylines from Week 15 in the NFL, and this time are joined by a trio of guests to make sure they leave no stone…

Before the big conference championship games ‒ Michigan State vs Iowa ‒ review what Inside the Pylon head writer Mark Schofield had to say about these teams throughout the season. Click here for Temple vs Houston, Florida vs Alabama, Stanford vs USC, and North Carolina vs Clemson. Michigan State faced a tough test early in the season, as…

Fresh off their narrow victory last weekend over Ohio State, the Michigan State Spartans needed a home win in their season finale against Penn State to earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mark Schofield looks at how Connor Cook delivered MSU’s ticket to Indy. After missing the game against…

Connor Cook‘s traits, and experience in the MSU offense, have some scouts salivating over him as a potential #1 overall pick. Mark Schofield says one of the traits displayed on the field is Cook’s ability to anticipate the pass, throwing receivers open before their break. It sounds odd to say that Connor Cook is a name flying…

On Saturday the Michigan State Spartans were struggling on offense through three-plus quarters, clinging to a seven point lead. After forcing a punt, Michigan State went back to basics. Mark Schofield looks at the scoring drive that extended their lead over the Central Michigan Chippewas. Michigan State takes over possession on their own 39-yard line, facing a 1st and…

Each week in college football, there are many wonderful throws but there can be only one winner. There were many contenders, including Deshaun Watson’s long strike against Appalachian State or Trevone Boykin’s 60-yard strike to Kolby Listenbee. Mark Schofield‘s inaugural Throw of the Week award goes to Vernon Adams ‒ and not for his impromptu left-handed toss in the…

The Michigan State Spartans emerged victorious in the first meeting between Top-10 teams this season, knocking off the Oregon Ducks 31-28. Mark Schofield previewed the matchup, and looks at the tape from Saturday to show how the MSU defense did its homework. The Spartans rode to victory behind a solid performance from quarterback Connor Cook and…